Implementación del mantenimiento correctivo de una estibadora con capacidad de carga de 500 kg

Abstract

The mechanical laboratories and workshops of the Technological Faculty at Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas move heavy equipment through direct physical effort or informal methods. This practice endangers staff and can alter the alignment and balance of precision equipment. In response, this work restores a second-hand manual hydraulic pallet stacker with a 500 kg capacity, acquired in a state of operational obsolescence, with the aim of returning it to functional and safe operating condition. The initial inspection revealed mainly mechanical deterioration, concentrated in the components under the greatest stress: chassis pins deformed by shear and bearings with fatigued races, along with surface oxidation and degraded hydraulic oil. Based on this diagnosis, the intervention distinguished between standard components, which were replaced because they are safety-critical and readily available on the market, and non-standard components, which were recovered through machining of pins in AISI 1045 steel, weld reinforcement, part alignment, and a hydraulic oil change. The coatings were then stripped down to the base steel and a protective system of anticorrosive primer and polyurethane enamel was applied. Once assembled, the pallet stacker was tested unloaded and with a 500 kg load made up of weights of specified mass, and its travel, lifting, hydraulic locking, and controlled lowering through the valve control were verified. The restoration cost COP $503,000, including the base unit, compared with COP $1,500,000–$1,700,000 for a new pallet stacker with similar specifications. The work concludes that the equipment was left in usable condition for the workshops and laboratories, and it documents the process, costs, and drawings of the manufactured parts.